Dear Dr. Getty,
I have a 20 year-old Paso Fino who thinks and acts like he's still 5 years- old. He has mucho brio, but is hard to keep weight on since he is in constant motion even in the pasture. All I want is no ribs showing and no cave-in spots. In the old barn we were in he got the same kind of grain 12% strategy, but he also got T/A hay 3 times a day. His new barn is a beautiful place with lovely pasture in the summer, but the owner is very frugal with hay in the winter. He feeds coastal or that blend that I had never even heard of before I came to this barn. My horses have always had T/A no matter where I went. I ride him 3-4 times a week and we do 2-3 hour rides that are rather vigorous. What would you suggest would be the best approach to this problem? Can I achieve sufficient weight gain on cubes or do you have another suggestion? Thank you so much for your time.

Where are you from? Clearwater, Florida

How did you locate this forum? One of my fellow boarders uses your products and told me about it.

Hi Linda,

Well, from what you describe, he is simply not getting enough feed in the form of hay. I would suggest that you add two things to his diet: Beet Pulp and Stabilized Rice Bran. Both of these will provide additional energy (calories) without the risks involved in adding more grain-based feed.

You might also consider adding Ration Plus to his diet to help him optimize his utilization of his feed. This product will boost the health of his bacterial flora living in the hind gut, making it easier for him to gain weight. You can read more about it at: http://gettyequinenutrition.biz/ration_plus/ration_plus.htm

Keep me posted on how he is doing.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Dr. Getty,
Thank you so much for your quick response! I got him both things that you suggested and am ordering the Ration plus. Do you think it would be too much to give him the alfalfa cube ( 15-20 ) per day also?

Where are you from? Clearwater, Florida

How did you locate this forum? One of my fellow boarders uses your products and told me about it.

Hi Linda,

Alfalfa cubes are an excellent addition to his diet. The protein quality in a legume nicely balances out the protein from grass hays.

Dr. Getty

Pardon me, Just wondering, What is T/A hay?

T/A is Timothy and Alfalfa and the horses just love it. When my horse was on it, weight was not an issue. However, it costs much more than coastal or tifton and some barn owners are really stingy when it comes to hay. My horse just doesn't thrive on hay with low nutrients.

Where are you from? Clearwater, Florida

How did you locate this forum? One of my fellow boarders uses your products and told me about it.